Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 13:12     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a person from the actual south (Georgia)- not until Staunton/Roanoke/ south of Richmond. The people who say western Loudoun past Leesburg are wrong, that’s just rural. Charlottesville is a major college town. It isn’t southern, its identity is UVA. Nowhere within 50 miles of here for sure. Woodbridge isn’t “the south,” it’s just not suburban nova. And confederate flags aren’t the metric, those fly in every state because every state has racists.


Another southerner here. I’m from Mississippi. Nothing in Virginia feels southern to me until about Richmond. And even that’s a stretch.


You’re from the deep south. To us northerners this feels like the south.


That’s why those of us who ARE from the south are defining why most of VA isn’t really the south. Of course it “feels” south if you’re from New York but it’s actually not that southern in personality or character in much of the state and definitely not in any part that is near-ish to this metro area.


Virginia, yes all of Virginia even Arlington and Alexandria, WAS southern decades ago. In the 80s you would hear folks with southern accents all throughout Virginia, regardless of if you’re from Roanoke or Reston. That being said, as transplants and infrastructure change the overall landscape of an area, it begins to change. Like in Georgia, Atlanta and the surrounding suburbs feel nothing like the south. Charlotte NC, despite being at the border with SC, is unnoticeable from any Northern city.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 11:53     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:The South is not defined by bright lines—it’s a spectrum of cultural, geographic, and historical factors. I think of Virginia as a Southern state with strong northern influences—and the farther north you go in Virginia, the stronger those Northern influences are and the weaker the Southern influences are. (Conversely, I think of Maryland as a Northern state with strong Southern influences.). Northern Virginia feels much less “Southern” than places like Lynchburg, Danville, Emporia, and Richmond. But remember that, until just a few years ago, there was a Jeff Davis Highway and a Lee Highway in Arlington; there is still a Lee-Jackson Highway in Fairfax (though that is about to be changed); all of Virginia used to celebrate Lee-Jackson-King day; there is a neighborhood in the City of Fairfax where all the street names were Confederacy-related (though that is also about to change or has recently changed); there’s Sully Planation in Fairfax—I could go on. For someone coming from the North (as I did nearly 30 years ago), these Southern aspects of Northern Virginia stand out. And for someone coming from the Deep South, I’m sure that Northern Virginia’s more “Northern” influences make it feel less Southern than where they’re from—but the Southern roots are still there.

By the way, I don’t buy that just because a place is a college town (like Charlottesville) or is wealthy and diverse (like Northern Virginia) means that the place is not Southern. There are many progressive college towns scattered throughout the South, as well as large, diverse metro areas. Atlanta is the heart of the South, but much of suburban Atlanta looks and feels like Northern Virginia. Sure, it’s not connected to the Northeast Corridor like Northern Virginia, but demographically there are many similarities. Some would say that Atlanta is no longer “Southern” for that reason, but that’s relies on a small-and unfairly stereotypical view of the South.


This is a wonderfully written and thoughtful comment! I’m curious: Have you been to Western MD and the Eastern Shore? And if so, how did that influence your sense of Maryland as a “Northern state with strong Southern influences?” I’d like to get a better sense of some of the distinctions that you might be making. (History, accents, food, values, politics, identity…. )
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 11:23     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:I moved from atlanta to richmond and the latter feels more southern. But honestly nothing is uniformly anything--where we lived in atlanta was a combination of white liberals and black families (Dekalb county, heavily democratic); where we live in richmond is more white, wealthy and more republican. I hate it and want to move, but only into richmond proper.


Unrelated, but if you are from Richmond why are you on this forum? I don’t mean that in a condescending way, just surprised that people from as far as Richmond are active on a DC area forum!
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 11:21     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:OP, you did not say why it matters if Virginia feels Southern. Are you interested in moving to the state?

It might help if you let go of your preconceived notions and see Virginia as it is. I am not a true native but I love it here. More people are moving into it and we're losing some of the rural charm.


+1, The rural charm feel as if it is being preserved, almost as if it needs to be deemed as conservation property in order for it to be kept in its natural habitat
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 10:50     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:The South is not defined by bright lines—it’s a spectrum of cultural, geographic, and historical factors. I think of Virginia as a Southern state with strong northern influences—and the farther north you go in Virginia, the stronger those Northern influences are and the weaker the Southern influences are. (Conversely, I think of Maryland as a Northern state with strong Southern influences.). Northern Virginia feels much less “Southern” than places like Lynchburg, Danville, Emporia, and Richmond. But remember that, until just a few years ago, there was a Jeff Davis Highway and a Lee Highway in Arlington; there is still a Lee-Jackson Highway in Fairfax (though that is about to be changed); all of Virginia used to celebrate Lee-Jackson-King day; there is a neighborhood in the City of Fairfax where all the street names were Confederacy-related (though that is also about to change or has recently changed); there’s Sully Planation in Fairfax—I could go on. For someone coming from the North (as I did nearly 30 years ago), these Southern aspects of Northern Virginia stand out. And for someone coming from the Deep South, I’m sure that Northern Virginia’s more “Northern” influences make it feel less Southern than where they’re from—but the Southern roots are still there.

By the way, I don’t buy that just because a place is a college town (like Charlottesville) or is wealthy and diverse (like Northern Virginia) means that the place is not Southern. There are many progressive college towns scattered throughout the South, as well as large, diverse metro areas. Atlanta is the heart of the South, but much of suburban Atlanta looks and feels like Northern Virginia. Sure, it’s not connected to the Northeast Corridor like Northern Virginia, but demographically there are many similarities. Some would say that Atlanta is no longer “Southern” for that reason, but that’s relies on a small-and unfairly stereotypical view of the South.


This is probably the most thoughtful and well-written comment I've ever read on DCUM. Completely agree.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 10:48     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Every time I see people saying the south is so much more racist than the north, I think of that Nice White Parents podcast where they talk about the fact that people in NYC always say the south is so racist and they're so much more progressive yet their schools are more segregated than anywhere else in the entire country.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 10:38     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
I moved from atlanta to richmond and the latter feels more southern. But honestly nothing is uniformly anything--where we lived in atlanta was a combination of white liberals and black families (Dekalb county, heavily democratic); where we live in richmond is more white, wealthy and more republican. I hate it and want to move, but only into richmond proper.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 09:31     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
When you’re still in Maryland.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 09:25     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Well said ^^
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 09:21     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
The South is not defined by bright lines—it’s a spectrum of cultural, geographic, and historical factors. I think of Virginia as a Southern state with strong northern influences—and the farther north you go in Virginia, the stronger those Northern influences are and the weaker the Southern influences are. (Conversely, I think of Maryland as a Northern state with strong Southern influences.). Northern Virginia feels much less “Southern” than places like Lynchburg, Danville, Emporia, and Richmond. But remember that, until just a few years ago, there was a Jeff Davis Highway and a Lee Highway in Arlington; there is still a Lee-Jackson Highway in Fairfax (though that is about to be changed); all of Virginia used to celebrate Lee-Jackson-King day; there is a neighborhood in the City of Fairfax where all the street names were Confederacy-related (though that is also about to change or has recently changed); there’s Sully Planation in Fairfax—I could go on. For someone coming from the North (as I did nearly 30 years ago), these Southern aspects of Northern Virginia stand out. And for someone coming from the Deep South, I’m sure that Northern Virginia’s more “Northern” influences make it feel less Southern than where they’re from—but the Southern roots are still there.

By the way, I don’t buy that just because a place is a college town (like Charlottesville) or is wealthy and diverse (like Northern Virginia) means that the place is not Southern. There are many progressive college towns scattered throughout the South, as well as large, diverse metro areas. Atlanta is the heart of the South, but much of suburban Atlanta looks and feels like Northern Virginia. Sure, it’s not connected to the Northeast Corridor like Northern Virginia, but demographically there are many similarities. Some would say that Atlanta is no longer “Southern” for that reason, but that’s relies on a small-and unfairly stereotypical view of the South.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 08:35     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:OP, you did not say why it matters if Virginia feels Southern. Are you interested in moving to the state?

It might help if you let go of your preconceived notions and see Virginia as it is. I am not a true native but I love it here. More people are moving into it and we're losing some of the rural charm.


There are too many racist RWNJs and WV bro types. Hope more northerners move here to displace them.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 08:32     Subject: Re:Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
OP, you did not say why it matters if Virginia feels Southern. Are you interested in moving to the state?

It might help if you let go of your preconceived notions and see Virginia as it is. I am not a true native but I love it here. More people are moving into it and we're losing some of the rural charm.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 08:25     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a person from the actual south (Georgia)- not until Staunton/Roanoke/ south of Richmond. The people who say western Loudoun past Leesburg are wrong, that’s just rural. Charlottesville is a major college town. It isn’t southern, its identity is UVA. Nowhere within 50 miles of here for sure. Woodbridge isn’t “the south,” it’s just not suburban nova. And confederate flags aren’t the metric, those fly in every state because every state has racists.


Another southerner here. I’m from Mississippi. Nothing in Virginia feels southern to me until about Richmond. And even that’s a stretch.


You’re from the deep south. To us northerners this feels like the south.


That’s why those of us who ARE from the south are defining why most of VA isn’t really the south. Of course it “feels” south if you’re from New York but it’s actually not that southern in personality or character in much of the state and definitely not in any part that is near-ish to this metro area.


It’s not Deep South, but it’s south.
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 07:50     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Richmond
Anonymous
Post 12/25/2022 07:25     Subject: Where does Virginia begin to feel ‘Southern’?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:As a person from the actual south (Georgia)- not until Staunton/Roanoke/ south of Richmond. The people who say western Loudoun past Leesburg are wrong, that’s just rural. Charlottesville is a major college town. It isn’t southern, its identity is UVA. Nowhere within 50 miles of here for sure. Woodbridge isn’t “the south,” it’s just not suburban nova. And confederate flags aren’t the metric, those fly in every state because every state has racists.


Another southerner here. I’m from Mississippi. Nothing in Virginia feels southern to me until about Richmond. And even that’s a stretch.


You’re from the deep south. To us northerners this feels like the south.


That’s why those of us who ARE from the south are defining why most of VA isn’t really the south. Of course it “feels” south if you’re from New York but it’s actually not that southern in personality or character in much of the state and definitely not in any part that is near-ish to this metro area.